WEST CHESTER, Ohio — A West Chester business recently fell victim to a scam, leaving them struggling financially during an already slow season.
Ghiovanna Dennis and her daughter co-own the Coterie Lounge & Cafe in West Chester.
“I’m not a coffee connoisseur of any sort, but I use it to bring people together,” said Dennis.
They first opened their doors in May of last year, and like any small business, the first year has had its ups and downs.
Unfortunately, Dennis was recently the victim of a scam, causing her to lose nearly $1,000, when someone called her pretending to be Duke Energy.
“They called me, we were busy and he, the man, said that if I didn’t pay what I owed or a big portion of it, that they were gonna shut off my electricity,” said Dennis.
WATCH: Small business owner Ghiovanna Dennis share how she was scammed
Dennis said she panicked because it seemed real. She did have a balance to pay, the scammers transferred her to multiple people, and they weren’t being overly nice.
The scammers told her she needed to pay immediately, either at their downtown payment station or a local payment center. They directed her to a payment center at her local Walgreens to make the money transfer.
“They gave me the account number I needed to pay for which I think was one number off my account number, looking back on it,” said Dennis. “And I went, and I took cash out, and I paid them.”
She says she didn’t think twice about it. They knew her name, account info, and her business.
But last week, she discovered it was a scam.
“The real Duke shut my electricity off, and I had patrons in here — it was humiliating. And I called them, just about to totally go off on them,” said Dennis. “And they very politely told me that I had been scammed.”
The money Dennis had to pay the real Duke, plus what she paid the scammers cleared her out, so she went to social media asking the community for help.
“My family and I have worked so hard, my daughter and I specifically, to become what we are and I didn’t just want that to go down the chute,” said Dennis.
And she’s learned her lesson and has advice for others so they can avoid being in her shoes.
“When anybody calls, hang up and call the actual business back,” said Dennis. “I will forever do that, this will never happen to me again.”
She says the best way to support them is to go to Coterie Lounge & Cafe and buy a drink or snack. For more ways to help, you can visit their website here.
We reached out to Duke Energy and asked if they were aware of these scams and if they had any tips for customers to avoid scams. They responded with a link to their web page sharing the most common scams, what to do if you suspect a scam and other advice. To see that information, click here.
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